Chapter 1 What is Astronomy?
Section 1.1 How We Do Astronomy: From What We See to What We Know
Section 1.1 Multiple Choice Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 1.1 Fill-in-the-Blanks Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 1.1 Short Answer Exercise
Section 1.2 Messengers: How the Universe Speaks to Us
What are Messengers?
Light (Electromagnetic Radiation)
Cosmic Rays
Neutrinos
Gravitational Waves
How Do Messengers Arise?
Section 1.2 Multiple Choice Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 1.2 Fill-in-the-Blanks Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 1.2 Short Answer Exercise
Section 1.3 Messengers: Their Journey Across the Universe
The Journey of Messengers
What Happens Along the Way?
Consequences for Astronomy
Section 1.3 Multiple Choice Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 1.3 Fill-in-the-Blanks Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 1.3 Short Answer Exercise
Section 1.4 Messengers: How We Capture Their Signal
Electromagnetic Wave Astronomy
Cosmic Ray Astronomy
Neutrino Astronomy
Gravitational Wave Astronomy
Multi-Messenger Astronomy
Astronomy as Science
Section 1.4 Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 1.4 Fill-in-the-Blanks Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 1.4 Short Answer Exercise
Section 1.5 Chapter Summary
Glossary of Important Terms
Chapter 2 Light
Section 2.1 Properties of Light
Light as Electromagnetic Waves
Speed of Light
Light as Particles
Electromagnetic Spectrum
Summary of the Electromagnetic Spectrum (boundaries are just for reference!!)
Section 2.1 Multiple Choice Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 2.1 Fill-in-the-Blanks Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 2.1 Short Answer Exercise
Section 2.2 Seeing to Pinpointing: Coordinate Systems
Understanding the Celestial Sphere
Defining Coordinate Systems for the Sky
Defining Angular Separation
Defining Solid Angles
Section 2.2 Multiple Choice Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 2.2 Fill-in-the-Blanks Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 2.2 Short Answer Exercise
Section 2.3 Seeing to Measuring: Photometry
Assumptions
Luminosity
Flux
Specific Flux / Flux Density
Intensity / Surface Brightness
Photometry: Measuring Brightnesses
Apparent Magnitudes
Standard Apparent Magnitudes and Their Zero-Points
Absolute Magnitudes
Spectral Energy Distribution (SED)
Color: A Closer Look into the Spectrum
Section 2.3 Multiple Choice Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 2.3 Fill-in-the-Blanks Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 2.3 Short Answer Exercise
Section 2.4 Seeing to Analyzing: Spectroscopy
Spectroscopic Measurements
Kirchhoff’s Laws of Spectroscopy
Spectral Resolution
Optical/Visible Spectroscopy
Infrared Spectroscopy
Ultraviolet (UV) Spectroscopy
Radio Spectroscopy
X-ray Spectroscopy
Spectral Resolution in Photometry
Section 2.4 Multiple Choice Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 2.4 Fill-in-the-Blanks Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 2.4 Short Answer Exercise
Section 2.5 Chapter Summary
Glossary of Important Terms
Chapter 3 Matter
Section 3.1 Atoms
Sub-Atomic Particles
Atomic Structure
Four Forces of Nature
Periodic Table of the Elements
Isotopes
Chart of Nuclides
Ions, Ionization, and Ionization States
Section 3.1 Multiple Choice Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 3.1 Fill-in-the-Blanks Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 3.1 Short Answer Exercise
Section 3.2 Kinetic Theory
Key Assumptions
Kinetic Energy
Temperature
Pressure
Section 3.2 Multiple Choice Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 3.2 Fill-in-the-Blanks Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 3.2 Short Answer Exercise
Section 3.3 Phases of Matter
Liquid Phase
Solid Phase
Gas Phase
Plasma Phase
At Even Higher Energies…
Degenerate Phase
Electron Degeneracy, Neutron Degeneracy, and Singularity
Section 3.3 Multiple Choice Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 3.3 Fill-in-the-Blanks Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 3.3 Short Answer Exercise
Section 3.4 Chapter Summary
Glossary of Important Terms
Chapter 4 Light-Matter Interactions
Section 4.1 Fundamentals of Radiative Transfer
Initial Setup of the Problem
Loss of Radiation by Scattering and Absorption
Generalized Cross Section
Opacity
Optical Depth and Photon Mean Free Path
Gain of Radiation by Scattering and Emission
Scattering of the Ambient Radiation Field
Emission by the ISM
Summary of Radiation Gain and Loss So Far
Formal Solution of the Radiative Transfer Equation
Simplified Case of Uniform Optical Depth
Practical Considerations in Astrophysical Observations
Extinction Correction
Section 4.1 Multiple Choice Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 4.1 Fill-in-the-Blanks Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 4.1 Short Answer Exercise
Section 4.2 Microphysics of Emission and Absorption
Thermal Emission
Blackbody Radiation
Low-Temperature Limit
High-Temperature Limit
Monotonicity with Temperature
Wien’s Displacement Law
Stefan–Boltzmann Law
Atomic Energy Levels and Electron Transitions
Matter-Waves and Discrete Atomic Electron Shells
Electron Energy Levels
Atomic Electron Transitions
Line Emission and Absorption by Atoms
Line Emission
Line Absorption
Kirchhoff’s Laws of Spectroscopy: a Reprise
Practical Example
Going Deeper into the Quantum Realm
Line Emission and Absorption by Molecules
Section 4.2 Multiple Choice Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 4.2 Fill-in-the-Blanks Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 4.2 Short Answer Exercise
Section 4.3 Chapter Summary
Glossary of Important Terms
Chapter 5 Observations
Section 5.1 Telescopes
Telescopes as Photon Buckets
Refracting Telescopes
Telescopes as Magnifying Glasses
Reflecting Telescopes
Telescope Mounts
Evolution of the Telescope Aperture Size
Adaptive Optics
Interferometric Observations
Section 5.1 Multiple Choice Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 5.1 Fill-in-the-Blanks Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 5.1 Short Answer Exercise
Section 5.2 Detectors
Detector as a Photon Bucket Brigade
Detector as a Photon-to-Electron Converter
Section 5.2 Multiple Choice Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 5.2 Fill-in-the-Blanks Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 5.2 Short Answer Exercise
Section 5.3 Imaging
Section 5.3 Multiple Choice Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 5.3 Fill-in-the-Blanks Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 5.3 Short Answer Exercise
Section 5.4 Photometry
Photometric Calibration
Calibrating the Measurements
Why Calibration Matters
Section 5.4 Multiple Choice Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 5.4 Fill-in-the-Blanks Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 5.4 Short Answer Exercise
Section 5.5 Spectroscopy
Spectral Resolution
Wavelength and Flux Calibration
Doppler Measurements
Section 5.5 Multiple Choice Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 5.5 Fill-in-the-Blanks Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 5.5 Short Answer Exercise
Section 5.6 Spectral Imaging
Section 5.6 Multiple Choice Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 5.6 Fill-in-the-Blanks Quiz
3 attempts allowed
Section 5.6 Short Answer Exercise
Section 5.7 Chapter Summary
Glossary of Important Terms
Astrophysics for the Rest of Us: Fundamentals
AftRoU: Fundamentals
What does it really mean to “observe” the Universe? This course trains you to think like an observational astronomer, moving from intuition to first-principles reasoning about light and matter, plus interactions between them. You will build a coherent picture of astrophysics by following real observational clues and turning data into explanations.
Minimum price
$25.00
$25.00
You pay
$25.00Author earns
$20.00About
About the Course
Astrophysics is not just pretty pictures. What happens when we go beyond awe and start asking why the universe must behave the way it does?
Astrophysics for the Rest of Us: Fundamentals invites you to explore the cosmos from first principles — not as a list of disconnected facts, but as a logical unfolding of what must happen Astrophysics is not just pretty pictures. What happens when we go beyond awe and start asking why the universe must behave the way it does?
Astrophysics for the Rest of Us: Fundamentals invites you to explore the cosmos from first principles — not as a list of disconnected facts, but as a logical unfolding of what must happen when light and matter interact under the rules of physics.
We’ll begin with the most basic question — what does it mean to “see” something? — and walk step by step through how we gather information from the universe. From photons falling into telescopes to the fingerprints of atoms in starlight, you’ll learn how we extract meaning from distant messengers.
This course doesn’t assume you’re a physicist. What it assumes is that you’re curious, thoughtful, and willing to slow down and think things through. We emphasize conceptual understanding, plain language, and building your own reasoning from the ground up. You’ll walk in the shoes of astronomers, wrestle with cosmic puzzles, and come away with a deep, working intuition for how astrophysics actually works.
Whether you’re preparing for more advanced coursework, teaching others, or simply hungry to understand the universe for yourself, this is your starting point.
Note: this material is intended as a required resource for a college course.
We’ll begin with the most basic question — what does it mean to “see” something? — and walk step by step through how we gather information from the universe. From photons falling into telescopes to the fingerprints of atoms in starlight, you’ll learn how we extract meaning from distant messengers.
This course doesn’t assume you’re a physicist. What it assumes is that you’re curious, thoughtful, and willing to slow down and think things through. We emphasize conceptual understanding, plain language, and building your own reasoning from the ground up. You’ll walk in the shoes of astronomers, wrestle with cosmic puzzles, and come away with a deep, working intuition for how astrophysics actually works.
Whether you’re preparing for more advanced coursework, teaching others, or simply hungry to understand the universe for yourself, this is your starting point.
Note: this material is intended as a required resource for a college course.
Instructor
About the Instructor
Toshiya Ueta
Material
Course Material
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